Take My Hand
by angelrider13
Summary: She's broken; shattered beyond repair. But he still reaches for her even as she falls. He still pulls her up and helps her stand. And never once does he let go of her hand. Modern!AU.
1. She Fell

**So I should TOTALLY NOT be doing this, but I am. Dun dun dunna! NEW STORY! This one isn't gonna be like the others though, just short drabblely chapters (which means WAY more updates). It literally came to me in a dream, no lie. I seem to do all of my best story thinking in bed. It's actually kind of annoying, but MAN, do I come up with some amazing stuff (also some really weird stuff, but we're not going to talk about that).**

**Anywho, this is a Modern AU that centers around Robin and Luffy mostly. I am NOT writing them romantically, but if you see it that way (and I'm going to tell you right now that it will probably look that way) then knock yourself out. Romance isn't really the focus of this story, there may be side pairings or something, but romance is a no go in this fic.**

**Though there will be platonic stuff out the wazoo, so you can probably end up shipping everyone with everyone because why not?**

**To reiterate:**

**THIS FIC IS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP. ROMANCE IS NOT A THING HERE.**

**That is all.**

**Disclaimer: I own this story. End of discussion.**

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_**~She Fell~**_

* * *

It was beautiful.

The sun was bright, even as it moved closer and closer to the horizon. Its light shone on the sea, dancing across the waves, making the water seem alive.

It was beautiful.

It was peaceful.

She sighed with forbidden longing. An hour she had been standing there, just watching as the sun sank lower and lower and the sky grew darker and darker. And just as she had expected, not a single person had approached her. No one talked to the strange girl standing on the edge of the bridge staring out at the sea. She suspected no one wanted too; she was no one special after all. She was no one, she was nothing. Just a shadow. Just a breath of air as fleeting as the wind. She was unwanted, unloved.

This was for the best.

It was the only option left.

She was _so tired_. She just wanted it to end. She couldn't keep living like this, if it could even be called living. She was tired of running, of chasing after a hopeless dream. There was nothing left, nothing but ashes and dust and the bitter taste of betrayal. All around her was darkness; it was cold and unforgiving and she couldn't take it anymore.

She was broken.

And she knew she couldn't be fixed.

She wasn't sure she wanted to be.

It was too hard now, she wanted it to end.

She looked up and saw the stars. They used to mean something once upon a time: hope, dreams, imagination, she can't quite remember. And it aches. She is so tired of that ache, the one that never goes away, the wound that people kept ripping open until she built an iron wall around it. But then they still found ways to hurt her. She didn't want to hurt anymore. She didn't want to feel.

She took a breath.

And stepped off the bridge.

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**Short and sweet. The next part will be longer, but only by a little bit. Remember, no long chapters with this one. Review!**

**Until next time,**

**~Elri**


	2. But He Reached Out

**Hello, lovelies!**

**Since you guys clearly did not like that cliffhanger, here's the next chapter! Still on the short side, but I did tell you last chapter but all of the chapters are going to be relatively short, I wouldn't count on any of the chapters being much longer than 1,000 words.**

**To my guest reviewer:**

**pippi:** Here's the next part!

**Disclaimer: Other than the OP characters, I own this story.**

**Warnings: Characters are going to be OOC, most especially Robin given her back story in this universe.**

**ONWARD!**

* * *

_**~But He Reached Out~**_

* * *

She was falling.

There was a rush of weightlessness and the pounding of her heart jumped up into her throat.

She was falling.

The wind caressed her face and the air rushed past her ears.

She was falling.

Everything was finally _ending_.

She smiled.

She was falling.

Only for her arm to be wrenched painfully upwards, jerking her body to a halt. The air stilled and the world came crashing back to her – the sounds of the rushing cars above her, the break of the waves below her. There was a hand clamped tightly around her wrist, fingers digging into her skin, fire racing up her arm. She screamed and the hand pulled.

She wanted to fall, for the hand to let go, for the rush of the wind to come back, for everything to end. She wanted to struggle and hit and _make_ the hand drop her, but her body, her traitorous body, had other ideas. Her hand reached out and grasped the arm holding her here, the hand that wouldn't let her go, wouldn't let her die. The hand that was pulling her up.

She was back on the bridge.

She wasn't falling.

Her eyes burned and everything hurt and there was this _sound_ and oh that was her. She was screaming. Why was she screaming? All she knew was that it hurt and she just wanted it to _stop_ and what was so wrong about that? Why couldn't she just _let go_? That was all she wanted. That was it. It was something so _simple_. So why wouldn't anyone let her have it?

And then the hand was back, snaking around her shoulders and pulling against something warm. So very warm.

Her head jerked up and she vaguely realized that she had been huddled on the ground crying. But none of that really mattered when she found herself staring up into warm brown eyes. It was a boy, a boy who couldn't be any older than sixteen. He was thin and lanky with all the awkwardness of teen going through puberty. He was even dressed in a school uniform: black slacks, white button-up shirt, navy blazer, blue tie. There was scar under his left eye, but other than that, everything was perfect and in place.

What could someone like this possibly know about someone like her?

Why would someone like him reach out to someone like her?

He was whole, untouched, unblemished, perfect.

She was broken. Shattered beyond repair.

Why?

A slight frown was tugging at his lips on his otherwise blank face.

Why?

But then he smiled so suddenly, she was left reeling. It was so _bright_. So very bright and pure and _happy_.

"Hi! I'm Luffy!" he said as he smiled at _her_.

She just stared at him. Why?

He tilted his head to the side and gave her a curious look. "Cause you were going to hurt yourself, silly," he said matter-of-factly, and she realized she had asked out loud, "People aren't supposed to jump off bridges."

"I-it was on purpose!" she managed to stutter, not sure what she was supposed to be feeling. Was she supposed to be angry at him? Was she supposed to be upset? Sad? How was she supposed to react? How would he react? Would he push her away in disgust or would he try to provide false words of comfort to convince her to stop?

He didn't do any of that.

He just smiled again, softer than the first, his eyes kind and understanding. "I know," he said simply.

And that just threw any possible expectations she had out the window. He _what_? He didn't know. He couldn't. He was whole, not broken like she was. He couldn't possibly know, couldn't possibly understand.

"No you don't," she all but hissed, the anger in her voice surprising her. She just wanted to let go and then this boy came along and pulled her back and she _didn't ask him to_ and it wasn't fair and who gave him the right to decide for her?

But Luffy's smile didn't falter, didn't change. It was still soft and gentle and _kind_.

"Okay," he said.

And just like that all of the anger rushed from her lungs.

"Hey," he said, grabbing her wrists and pulling her up, "You should come have dinner with me."

She blinked, heat rushing to her cheeks. "Huh? B-but – "

"Don't worry," he said as he tugged her along, throwing a warm grin over his shoulder, "The bridge isn't going anywhere. It will still be here tomorrow."

She didn't know what it was.

She didn't know why she did it.

She wrapped her fingers around his and he laced them together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She reached out and took his hand.

* * *

**There we are! Luffy arrives just in time! Tell me what you think. :)**

**Until next time,**

**~Elri**


	3. And Took Her Hand

**Hello lovelies!  
**

**So here is the next part as promised. Unfortunately, it looks like this is going to be the only update this week. This is the only thing I managed to finish on time. :P**

**Anywho~**

**To my guest reviewer:**

**pippi:** Sorry, but there isn't going to be any romance in this fic. At least not for a reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally long time. Robin isn't in the right mind set for something like that anyway.

**Disclaimer: I own everything except the characters.**

**ONWARD!**

* * *

_**~And Took Her Hand~**_

* * *

If she was honest with herself, she didn't know why she was doing this. She didn't know why _he_ was doing this. It didn't make any sense. She didn't even know where this strange boy was dragging her.

She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know either.

The boy – _Luffy_ – had mentioned dinner. But did he mean taking her out…or bringing her home? She didn't know which would be worse. Going to a restaurant, sitting in public with this boy in his high school uniform and her, an older woman dressed in old, worn clothes that didn't fit right and looked like she hadn't showered in days. (Because she hadn't.) Or going back with him to his house and meeting is _family_, seeing the distain on their faces as his parents questioned _what on earth_ their son had been thinking.

She didn't want to face either possibility.

But every time she tried to tug back her hand, Luffy's fingers tightened on hers and he pulled her along a little faster.

After the fifth try, he simply turned to her and said, "I'm going to feed you. You can leave after."

And he'd said with such determination in his eyes, that she stopped trying to run away.

That didn't stop her stomach from sinking when they arrived in front of an apartment complex and Luffy steered her towards the stairs.

She'd changed her mind, meeting his family would be worse than being subjected to the scrutiny of strangers. She'd dealt with strangers all her life after all. She knew how to handle it. Technically, this boy was a stranger too. But he had been kind to her. She didn't want to get him in trouble.

They stopped in front of a door and Luffy reached out to open it.

"Luffy, wait. I shouldn't – "

He just grinned that wide grin of his. "It'll be fine," he said simply.

And with, that he opened the door and dragged her in behind him.

"I'm home!" he called out.

"Welcome back!" a male voice called from somewhere in the apartment.

Luffy finally let go of her hand and she had to fight the urge to snatch it back. He took off his shoes as she stood there awkwardly shifting her weight. She took in her new surroundings, the pairs of shoes lined up by the door, the relatively clean walls and the floor clear of dirt and grime and who knows what else.

"Don't just stand there, take your shoes off," Luffy said.

Her head whipped around to face him. "I-I…" she stuttered, not really sure what to say.

She didn't _belong_ here.

It was so obvious.

Why had she let him drag her here?

But Luffy just tilted his head to the side like he was contemplating something and gently took her elbow and guided her to sit on the step that led up into the house before kneeling in front of her. She blinked dumbly as he started untying her worn boots and pulling them off her feet.

"There," he said, placing her boots next to his shoes with a self-satisfied smile. Luffy took her hand again and pulled her up. "Come on."

She trailed after him, squeezing his hand in a white knuckled grip in an attempt to stop herself from trembling. They rounded the corner and entered what looked like a living room. There was a young man sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep. He wore a simple, long sleeve black shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants. His black hair hid is eyes and a spattering of freckles covered his cheeks.

Luffy snickered. "That's my big brother, Ace," he said rather loudly, but Ace didn't so much as twitch. He was dead to the world.

"Luffy?" came the voice from before, "Who are you talking to?"

She turned to see another young man enter the room, a curious expression on his face. He had curly blond hair and a kind smile on his face.

"Ah! This is Sabo," Luffy said to her as if it explained everything in the world.

Sabo's kind smile didn't falter as he looked at her. "Nice to meet you," he said simply.

Her grip on Luffy's hand tightened to the point where she could feel his bones grinding together. But he didn't pull away. Her throat closed around any words she could possibly think to say, so she simply nodded to him.

"She's going to have dinner with us!" Luffy announced happily.

"Did someone say dinner?" a groggy voice asked from the couch.

Luffy grinned. "Hi Ace!"

Ace sat up and ran a hand over his face. "Hey, Lu," he said around a yawn, then he blinked at her. "Who're you?"

"She's my new friend," Luffy chirped, "I found her trying to jump off a bridge. But I stopped her because people aren't supposed to jump off of bridges."

He said it like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like it was a completely natural thing. She felt cold terror spread through her, her eyes wide as they flickered between Ace and Sabo, waiting for the disgust and the pity and the hate and everything else that came with it.

But neither of them batted an eye.

Ace simply raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does she have a name?"

"Yeah!" Luffy said before pausing and turning to her a quizzical expression on his face. "Hey, what's your name?"

Sabo heaved a long suffering sigh and Ace snorted.

She looked between them all, trying to find the words, to make her voice work, to stop trembling, to let go of Luffy's hand before she broke his fingers. But nothing worked. She just stood there like a deer caught in headlights. Ace and Luffy were looking at her expectantly, but Sabo seemed to have seen her absolute terror and mortification.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," he said softly, "But you're safe here with us. We won't look at you like they would."

She blinked, glancing from him to Ace, whose expression gentled at the blond's words as he gave her a reassuring nod, to Luffy, who grinned that grin that was so bright and kind and happy it made her ache.

"Robin," she said softly, "My name is Nico Robin."

* * *

**Yay! Ace and Sabo! Oh the next few chapters are going to be so much fun to write! XD**

**Until next time,**

**~Elri**


	4. And Pulled Her Up

**Yay! Next part on time! Whooooooo! I am on a roll with this fic!  
**

**And to those of you who follow my other stories, I am working on those, give me some time. I will start updating other stories besides just this one soon! Thanks for all you're support guys! :D**

**To my guest reviewer:  
**

**pippi:** I kid you not! ASL for the win! Yeah, no romance in this. Like I explained in the first chapter, romance is not going to be a thing in this fic. There might be hints of relationships in the future, and if you want to interpret it as those to characters in a relationship, then knock yourself out. But I am NOT going to come out and blatantly say "CHARACTER A AND CHARACTER B ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP AND THEY DO ALL OF THE RELATIONSHIP THINGS" because that's just not in my plan for this fic. (And to be completely honest with you, I don't really ship LuRo romantically anyway and in this verse, that kinda thing wouldn't really work out any way: Luffy is fifteen and Robin is in her mid-twenties. That's a no-no.) Besides, like I said before, Robin doesn't have the right mindset for a romantic relationship; it would hurt more than help at this point.

**Disclaimer: I OWN THE STORY. Not One Piece, but this story. That is all.  
**

**ONWARD!**

* * *

_**~And Pulled Her Up~**_

* * *

"Robin," she said softly, "My name is Nico Robin."

Luffy blinked up at her, head cocked to the side. "Robin? Like the bird? Cool!"

Sabo smiled. "It's pleasure to meet you, Nico-san."

Robin blinked, caught off guard. She didn't really know what she was expecting, but it wasn't a 'pleasure to meet you' and she certainly wasn't expecting the kind smile on the blond's face.

"That's the part where you say 'It's nice to meet you too'," Ace piped up from the couch.

She felt heat flood her cheeks and opened her mouth to apologize for her rudeness, but Sabo beat her to the punch.

"Shut up, Ace," he said with a roll of his eyes, making Luffy snicker and Ace smirk, "Ignore him," Sabo said, "He likes to be a little prick."

"Little? I'm the oldest!" Ace protested.

Sabo just waved a hand at him. "Anyway, I'm Sabo," he said jerking a thumb over his shoulder to point at a pouting Ace, "That idiot is Ace and you already know Luffy." Sabo paused here for a moment. "Wait, Luffy did you remember to introduce yourself before you started dragging her all over the city?"

Luffy pouted and crossed his arms. "I'm not _that_ dumb, Sabo," he said.

Ace snorted. "That's debatable."

Luffy just stuck his tongue out at him.

"_Anyway_," Sabo said, "Dinner won't be for a little while. You can go ahead and take a shower if you want."

"But…I…" She wouldn't admit it, but a shower sounded nice. She hadn't had one in days and hadn't had a proper one in she couldn't remember how long. Which, she realized, made her appearance rather…grimy. And while she had long grown accustomed to her smell, the others hadn't.

Luffy reached up and poked her cheek, startling her. "You think too much," he said lightly.

Ace stood, stretching until his shoulders popped. "A hot shower after a long day is something _anyone_ would want," he said, "It's not a big deal to want one. Come on, bathroom's this way."

Robin glanced at Luffy nervously, but he just smiled and gave her a light push. "It'll be fine."

Still wary, she followed Ace down the hall. They stopped at a large closet and Ace pulled out some clothes for her along with a razor and a pair of panties. She blushed at the sight of them.

"A-are those – Why-?" she stuttered.

Ace just rolled his eyes. "Luffy knows a _ridiculous _amount of people and almost all of them crash here at some point or another; we've developed a bit of stash. You're gonna have to go without a bra though. I don't know your size and it's rude to ask. Besides," he said bluntly, eyeing her figure with a slight frown on his lips, "you're underweight anyway, so I doubt what we have would fit you right anyway."

She blinked, shrinking in on herself slightly. "I'm sorry…"

Ace just shrugged. "It's not something you have to apologize for," he said, opening another door.

This one was the bathroom. It was simple: toilet, sink, shower. Ace set the clothes down on the sink counter and then slid the glass door of the shower open and put the razor inside.

"There," he said, turning back to her, "Now left is hot and right is cold. Leave your clothes outside and I'll throw them in the wash for you, kay?"

"A-Alright," she said softly.

Ace left the room, closing the door behind him. She stared after him for a moment, wondering. Why? Why were they being so nice to her? So kind? She was stranger to them. A nobody, a nothing. And yet. Here she was.

Carefully, she peeled off her clothes and turned on the shower before walking back to the door. She took a deep breath and opened the door a crack, sliding her hand through.

"Um…Ace-san?" she called softly, peering through the crack.

"Still here," he said, taking the clothes, "And you can drop the '–san', no need to be so formal."

She just blinked at him through the door, surprise showing on her face.

Ace chuckled. "Feel free to use whatever's in the shower. Take all the time you need," he said, before retreating down the hall.

Robin closed the door and leaned back against it, staring up at the ceiling. She was so confused. People weren't like this. She would know; she's met enough of them to know. She sighed and stepped into the shower. She bit her lip as the warm water slid down her skin. It felt good. She'd forgotten how nice a simple shower could feel.

She watched the water swirling at her feet, the filth from her skin turning it into a murky brown. She watched as the filth gradually became less and less and the water turned clear again. Her body slowly relaxed under the rhythmic pounding of the warm water on her skin, the tension leaving her. For that moment, she could pretend. Pretend that she had just come home from a rough day at work and was taking a shower to unwind. Pretend that the boys where friends come over to visit. Pretend that this was normal.

And even though she knew it was only pretend, she still felt a small smile form on her lips.

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**Aaaaaaaaand there we are! End of chapter 4. Thoughts?**

**Unitl next time,**

**~Elri**


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